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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

Ortho Evra Side Effects

Lawsuits have been filed by women who allege they suffered serious Ortho Evra side effects, which reportedly include blood clots in the legs and lungs as well as heart attacks and strokes. Women who use the Ortho Evra patch allege they were harmed by use of the birth control patch, while some families claim their loved ones died after using Ortho Evra birth control.

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Ortho Evra Lawsuits

ortho evra labelJohnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ortho McNeil, manufacturer of the Ortho Evra Patch, has so far paid $68.7 million to settle more than 4,000 state and federal lawsuits brought about by women who have suffered adverse side effects, from blood clots in legs and lungs to heart attack and stroke, from using this potentially lethal contraceptive device. Ortho Evra has also been blamed for 20 deaths.

The lawsuits claimed that Johnson & Johnson knew about higher levels of estrogen released by the Ortho Evra patch but failed to warn users that they could be at higher risk to suffer blood clots and other adverse side effects than women who use other forms of oral birth control such as the pill.

A lead plaintiff attorney told Bloomberg News that, as of March 31, 2008, a fund has paid out just over $2 million to settle several hundred cases.

Ortho Evra Deaths

On December 8, 2011, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted to strengthen the warnings on the Ortho Evra label, to include risks associated with use of the patch. The FDA panel was convened to discuss information from the FDA that the use of the Ortho Evra Patch was associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) compared with contraceptives that contain a lower dose of estrogen.

July 17th, 2005, the Associated Press International (API) reported that they were aware of at least a dozen women, most in their late teens and twenties who died in 2004 due to blood clots that are believed to be related to the use of the Ortho Evra Patch. According to 16,000 federal drug reports filed with the FDA, dozens more women survived strokes and other blood-clot related side effects In fact, API found 23 different fatalities associated with the patch, but the primary cause of death in each case was not always clear.

Some people suspect that there are many more deaths related to Ortho Evra but that aren't reported as such because coroners or doctors are not considering the effect of birth control in the fatal or near-fatal event, so they are not reporting all cases to the government.

These cases are incredible tragedies for the victims and their families. In one case, a 25 year old woman had a stroke and was placed in the Intensive Care Unit, where her condition was so fragile that her family was unable to speak or touch her in any way because even the slightest amount of stimulation could create a fatal level of pressure on her brain.

After the death of this beloved sister, daughter and wife, the coroner stated that her headaches and stroke may have been side effects of the high hormone levels in Ortho Evra. In March 2004, a young woman from New York died after being on the patch six weeks. A 17-year-old St. Louis girl using Ortho-Evra died from a pulmonary embolism, which is a deadly blood clot.

Young women are typically at low risk for blood clots and strokes, but with the use of Ortho Evra, these young women are having strokes, heart attacks and even dying at increased rates.

Ortho Evra Patch

In November 2005, Ortho McNeil, the makers of Ortho Evra, revised the birth control warning label to include additional risks and side effects:
    ortho evra patch risks"Most side effects of the Patch are not serious and those that are, occur infrequently. Serious risks, which can be life threatening, include blood clots, stroke and heart attacks and are increased if you smoke cigarettes."
Women using the Ortho Evra Patch are "exposed to about 60% more estrogen if they use ORTHO EVRA than if they use a typical birth control pill containing 35 micrograms of estrogen. In general, increased estrogen exposure increases the risk of side effects."

These changes to the label do little to warn women and their doctors of the potential risk of dying while using the Ortho Evra birth control patch.

Ortho Evra was the first contraceptive patch approved in 2002 by the FDA for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals under the giant company Johnson & Johnson. Ortho Evra and other birth control methods for these pharmaceutical companies generates over $1 billion in annual sales.

Ortho Evra Patch Legal Help

If you have or a loved on has suffered from blood clots, heart attack or stroke, while using Ortho Evra, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in an Ortho Evra class action or lawsuit. Please click the link below to submit your complaint to an Ortho Evra lawyer for a free case evaluation.
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ORTHO EVRA PATCH LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

Despite Yasmin Lawsuits, Bayer Presses On
Despite Yasmin Lawsuits, Bayer Presses On
September 27, 2012
Her user name is Eve84 and she's very concerned about Yasmin birth control, according to a message board posting back in February. READ MORE

Contraceptive Patches and Vaginal Rings Increase Risk for Blood Clots
Contraceptive Patches and Vaginal Rings Increase Risk for Blood Clots
May 11, 2012
Women may be at higher risk for blood clots with non-oral contraceptives, which include the Ortho Evra patch and NuvaRing compared with birth control pills, according to results of a study just published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). READ MORE

FDA Votes to Strengthen Warnings on Ortho-Evra Patch
FDA Votes to Strengthen Warnings on Ortho-Evra Patch
December 13, 2011
A post-marketing report released in October by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the safety of new generation contraceptives reportedly states that the Ortho Evra Patch from Johnson & Johnson's Janssen division, and the norelgestromin/estradiol vaginal ring, are associated with an increased risk for venous thromboembolic events (VTE), compared with contraceptives containing lower doses of estrogen. The Ortho Evra Patch and the ring both contain higher levels of estrogen compared with older or second generation birth control pills. READ MORE

READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
Blood clot in both legs from thighs up to the stomach.

Posted by

on
Due to large blood clots and loss of a lot of blood from the clots,I had an emergency blood transfusion and an emergency hysterectomy. I got blood clots from the ortho evera patch. Only now did i find out about the ortho evera patch was causing blood clots.

Posted by

on
Clotting disorder. Blood thinners for life. Can't get my blood under control. Blood work done three times a week.

Posted by

on
extreme pain, possible loss of my life, loss of wages, inability to work, loss of quality of life, loss of independence, disability, stress and terror for myself and my family.

Posted by

on
Debilitating migraine headaches subsequent to a stroke I suffered in 2008 while taking the patch. I was taken off all hormones immediately and told I could not take them again. I suffered migraine headaches so severe I could not work or do anything. I returned to work full time about 7 months afterward.

Posted by

on
I used the Ortho Evra patch for one year and have had two miscarriages in the last year and a half. Doesn't seem strange but I have a 3 year old son that was born healthy before I used the patch in 2006 and 2007. I had my first miscarriage in February of 2008 - the fetus never developed a heartbeat and then had another this month October 2009 again no heartbeat was ever found.

Posted by

on
I am on Coumadin.
I was in the hospital for 3 days.
I had thrombosis and a vena cava filter inserted and removed.
I am having trouble standing, walking, kneeling and sitting for long periods of time.

Posted by

on
Three weeks after using the patch, my orthopedic doctor discovered a blood clot in my left leg. The doctors decided that it had probably been there about a week. My ob/gyn then decided that I would be at risk to have children because my body would produce about 500 times the patch did so then I had an endrometrial oblation and my tubes closed because pregnancy was just too risky. I am only 36 and because of the patch I will never have children of my own.

Posted by

on
She suffered a stroke in her right brain and is now bed ridden and can not work for at least two months. We have a 3 year old daughter at home, and we also did not have insurance at the time of the stroke and are afraid that we may never be able to get insurance from this point forward.

Posted by

on
Transverse sinus thrombosis occured late November of 2002. Bleeding in my brain caused pinpoint hemorrages on my optic nerves. I couldn't go back to my job in New York City and had to go to my parent's house to recover. My HMO (I had just moved from Washington, DC to NY) did not cover any of my doctors visits while I was under the care of my parents. As a result, I have many doctor's bills. The bleeding in my brain also caused me to have panic attacks later that Spring.

Posted by

on
I began using Ortho Evra in April 2004. I used Ortho Evra until around Apri 2006 when I switched to the Nuva Ring. In early November 2006, just days after turning 20, I suffered a stroke and DVT. I had a severe headache, nausea, and visual problems. I could not get out of bed for three days because any movement made me nauseous and my eyes were extremely sensitive to light. I went to the ER 3 times, and the first and second times I was treated for a migraine and sent home. On the third trip to the ER, I was admitted and was in the hospital for approximately two weeks and forced to withdraw from school. I was released with some visual impairment.
I am currently on the anticoagulant Warfarin. Because this was an unusual occurance, I have to take Warfarin externally and go to monthly appointments with an anticoagulation nurse. I currently do not have health insurance and I have been informed it may be difficult to get health insurance with my health records.

Posted by

on
Extreme pain in my left leg. It felt like I had a cholly horse in my leg that would not stop. I was in a lot of pain. At first it felt like someone kicked me in the back of my leg, but the pain went away at first, but then it did not go away. I eventually went to the hospital, and was diagnosed with having a blood clot in my leg.

Posted by

on
Started on August 31 2007, I thought I just pulled my muscle. September 1 got up to go to work and fell out of my bed could not get to my feet due to the pain in my leg, still thought it was a pulled muscle. Went to work that day. Went to the hospital that night told me it might be a possible clot due to the size difference in my calf.

Posted by

on
After being on the patch for 10 months I began to have severe leg pain and went to the doctor, I had superficial deep vein thrombosis and had to endure many shots of heparin and take blood thinners for over two months. The pains are still there in my legs, though I no longer take blood thinners other than aspirin for them.

Posted by

on
The strokes have messed up my life. I had just graduated, was preparing for college entry, but am still trying to get my left hand working. I have lost friends, lost job, been on anti-depressants, currently having trouble getting a job.

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